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Windows XP SP2 outpaced Windows Vista SP1 and Windows 7 beta by leaps and bounds during multiprocess workload testing (concurrent database, messaging workflow, and multimedia tasks) on our dual-core and quad-core test beds (see main article, "The generation gap: Windows on multicore"). However, as you can see from the Scalability figures below (next page), the improvement in performance of XP when moving from dual-core to quad-core paled to the gains of Vista and Windows 7, showing that the later operating systems take better advantage of multiple cores. See "How I tested" for test details.

Windows on multicore: OfficeBench results (dual core)

Database

Messaging workflow

Windows XP

1.57 seconds

5.94 seconds

Windows Vista

3.02 seconds

11.77 seconds

Windows 7

3.42 seconds

8.18 seconds

Delta: XP to Vista

92%

98%

Delta: XP to Windows 7

118%

38%

Windows on multicore: OfficeBench results (quad core)

Database

Messaging workflow

Windows XP

0.43 seconds

4.49 seconds

Windows Vista

0.51 seconds

7.45 seconds

Windows 7

0.51 seconds

7.14 seconds

Delta: XP to Vista

19%

66%

Delta: XP to Windows 7

19%

59%

Windows on multicore: Scalability comparison

Database

Messaging workflow

Windows XP

265%

32%

Windows Vista

492%

58%

Windows 7

571%

15%

Delta: XP to Vista

86%

80%

Delta: XP to Windows 7

115%

-55%

Windows XP is more efficient

If you take the raw transaction times for the database and workflow tasks, and then factor them against the average processor utilization for these same workloads, we see that Windows XP consumes significantly fewer CPU cycles than Vista or Windows 7 to complete a single pass of the database and workflow transaction loops. XP provides a cleaner, less complex code path for the workloads to navigate as they execute, resulting in better overall performance with lower consumption of CPU cycles.